ADDING HATCH CHILLI PEPPERS TO BEER

[HoundboundCo]

For those who have done it. What is y’all’s preferred method to adding chilli peppers to beer. I have a couple pounds of hatch chilli peppers I plan to add to a pilsner/ lager this Sunday on my brewday.

 

[Miraculix]

Why on earth would you want to do that?!

 

[hotbeer]

I once made a Jalapeño Saison. It was a one gallon all-grain kit. In fact it was the first beer I ever brewed.

The day I decided to brew, I didn't have any jalapeño's, so I used two ancho chilis at 5 or 10 minute remaining boil time.

I was surprised that the slight flavor did seem to come through. So maybe don't over do it the first time. Maybe it was the hop complementing it. Pacific Jade is the only hop it used.

Don't know what'd be appropriate for a Pilsner. Maybe you should re-think the beer style.

 

[HoundboundCo]

Why on earth would you want to do that?!

Had a really good hatch chilli lager in New Mexico a couple years back at a local brewery.

 

[ClaudiusB]

Had a really good hatch chilli lager in New Mexico a couple years back at a local brewery.

As a nosy brewer, what was the name of the brewery?

 

[HoundboundCo]

As a nosy brewer, what was the name of the brewery?

Sierra Blanca Brewery

 

[ClaudiusB]

Sierra Blanca Brewery

Thanks. I remember them when they started in Carizosso, NM, now Moriarty.

 

[whoaru99]

I have not done that, but having made chile-infused vodka, I'm wondering if that might be the the gist of the way.

Make a strong chile tincture and add that to the beer?

As an unsolicited comment, I like green chile and I like beer. I've had jalapeno beer and it was OK, but I don't think I'd want a 5gal batch (my batch size) of chile beer (green or otherwise).

 

[fluketamer]

 

[Rish]

Sounds interesting, @HoundboundCo ! I make a tincture by soaking raw or roasted halved peppers in vodka for a week or so while my beer or cider is in the fv. I then add it at packaging (I bottle but this would work for kegging, I imagine). This does a couple of things: no loss of flavor during fermentation and you can start by adding a little and increase until you get the flavor and heat you want. Good luck!

 

[HoundboundCo]

Sounds interesting, @HoundboundCo ! I make a tincture by soaking raw or roasted halved peppers in vodka for a week or so while my beer or cider is in the fv. I then add it at packaging (I bottle but this would work for kegging, I imagine). This does a couple of things: no loss of flavor during fermentation and you can start by adding a little and increase until you get the flavor and heat you want. Good luck!

Sweet! How much vodka and peppers would be needed for a 5 gallon batch?

 

[Rish]

How many really depends on the pepper you have since they vary in taste and heat from type and crop. Rule of thumb for me is one pepper and 2 oz of vodka per gallon. You can adjust to your taste since a Hatch or jalapeño will definitely be different than a habanero but if you have more than you need for this batch you can save it for the next one.

 

[passedpawn]

I just put the pepper in the boil, 15 minutes. The last pepper beer I made, I put 1# of habaneros and 1# of jalapeno in a 5g batch. It had some heat, but not like you'd expect. In that beer, I smoked the malts. I loved it. No tincture. I did halve and smoke the peppers for a while before they went into the beer.

 

[HoundboundCo]

I just put the pepper in the boil, 15 minutes. The last pepper beer I made, I put 1# of habaneros and 1# of jalapeno in a 5g batch. It had some heat, but not like you'd expect. In that beer, I smoked the malts. I loved it. No tincture. I did halve and smoke the peppers for a while before they went into the beer.
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That’s awesome! I’ve read about 50/50 when it comes to either boiling or using a tincture. And just a few who have put in secondary for a few days before kegging

 

[lumpher]

Hatch chili's, long toms, etc... won't make much of a difference which chili you use by the time the beer is done. I grew up close to Hatch and we went there to pick our own. It's over-glorified by far. To stay on topic, PLEASE don't chili a pilsner, for all that's sacred...

 

[HoundboundCo]

Hatch chili's, long toms, etc... won't make much of a difference which chili you use by the time the beer is done. I grew up close to Hatch and we went there to pick our own. It's over-glorified by far. To stay on topic, PLEASE don't chili a pilsner, for all that's sacred...

lol! What’s the reasoning behind the no chilli in Pilsner thought? I’m prob gonna go more for a pre-pro lager recipe and incorporate chilis. Thoughts?

 

[Rish]

1# of habaneros and 1# of jalapeno in a 5g batch

You have a high pain tolerance, my brother!

 

[passedpawn]

You have a high pain tolerance, my brother!

I was told it was actually pretty good. Could have been feigned compliment, who knows. For me, it was one of my best beers.

 

[ClaudiusB]

lol! What’s the reasoning behind the no chilli in Pilsner thought? I’m prob gonna go more for a pre-pro lager recipe and incorporate chilis. Thoughts?

I would call it a Chili lager. It's no longer Pils if you add adjuncts. I don't believe in Americanizing beer styles.

 

[Peteinno]

I make a habanero beer and use a tincture. I cut up 3 habanero peppers and let them sit in a few ounces of vodka for a few days and pour it (strained) into the fermenter when the ferment is finished. Gives it a subtle pepper flavor with some bite. I found that adding it to the boil didn't give it much flavor or bite. I've also done it with chipotle peppers with success. Be careful with jalapenos as too much can give the beer a vegetal flavor.

 

[Brewer Mike]

I make a habanero beer and use a tincture. I cut up 3 habanero peppers and let them sit in a few ounces of vodka for a few days and pour it (strained) into the fermenter when the ferment is finished. Gives it a subtle pepper flavor with some bite. I found that adding it to the boil didn't give it much flavor or bite. I've also done it with chipotle peppers with success. Be careful with jalapenos as too much can give the beer a vegetal flavor.

I did pretty much the same, except I added 2 - 3 ml to a bottle and filed them with Helles. Turned out pretty good.

 

[Peteinno]

I did pretty much the same, except I added 2 - 3 ml to a bottle and filed them with Helles. Turned out pretty good.

Interesting. That would be a great way to test the flavor and bite with a single bottle and scale from there. Also pretty convenient if one feels like a bottle of pepper beer. I'll try it out with a pour from my keg.

 

[Snuffy]

I had a "mole' porter aged on chilis in oak Herradura barrels" once and got motivated to brew a pepper beer.

I would suggest a smaller batch as a test before going 5 gals. I bagged some dried chilis and added them to the secondary like a dry hop in a brown ale once. Had plenty of pepper flavor and was a great novelty kind of beer - but getting thru 5 gals of it was a struggle. I was rooting for the keg to kick every time I poured one for like the next 6 weeks. Also, most of the heat dissipated after a couple of weeks.

 

[Peteinno]

I had a "mole' porter aged on chilis in oak Herradura barrels" once and got motivated to brew a pepper beer.

I would suggest a smaller batch as a test before going 5 gals. I bagged some dried chilis and added them to the secondary like a dry hop in a brown ale once. Had plenty of pepper flavor and was a great novelty kind of beer - but getting thru 5 gals of it was a struggle. I was rooting for the keg to kick every time I poured one for like the next 6 weeks. Also, most of the heat dissipated after a couple of weeks.

Yes, there is a fine line with pepper beers. You want a very subtle flavor and some heat going down the back of your throat. I think New Belgium nailed it pretty well with their atomic pumpkin beer.

 

[Snuffy]

Yes, there is a fine line with pepper beers. You want a very subtle flavor and some heat going down the back of your throat. I think New Belgium nailed it pretty well with their atomic pumpkin beer.

I will have to try that one before I comment critically, but that "p word" next to beer gives me the Rick n Morty droopy lips.

 

[hotbeer]

If one is just going to do a tincture after the yeast have finished turning the wort to beer, then why not just have a bottle of the stuff with a dropper so everyone can add that to their glass of beer no matter what the beer is?

 

[Ron O]

I made 5 gallons of green chili ale last year. I started with 5 pounds of anaheim peppers. I roasted them on my pellet grill and ended up with about 3 pounds. I added them to my boil at 10 minutes. It turned out pretty good, but next time I will use more peppers.

 

[Snuffy]

If one is just going to do a tincture after the yeast have finished turning the wort to beer, then why not just have a bottle of the stuff with a dropper so everyone can add that to their glass of beer no matter what the beer is?

You should bottle that with a dropper and sell it. I'd buy some.

 

[kurds_2408]

https://untappd.com/b/soulcraft-brewing-green-chile-ale/1828579

Try emailing Soul Craft for some help. I've got a 6 pack of this in the fridge right now. It's tasty.

 

[homebrudoc]

Zymurgy has a PDF .... written by someone in New Mexico that understands chiles reasonably well.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/attachments/0000/2500/ndzym02-Chile_Beer.pdf

You can also google "poblano wit beer". Another recipe that's out there. A little bit of de-seeded roasted habanero added to secondary was quite tasty. Worked well for me but I definitely got "hop creep" both times that I added chiles to secondary.

A couple of breweries that have the same "consultant" make a tri-pepper pilsner. They grind up a blend of three types of chiles and "add to taste". I'm sure there is some added to the serving tank and then they have some "tincture" on the bar that they can fire it up with.

Hope this helps
homebrudoc

 

[NotSure]

I made a Mango Habenero DIPA at 8.5%. Used 8g of Habenero powder for 21 litres bottled to make a clone of Brewdog Neon Overlord. The powder was put in at flameout. I might use slightly less next time. Chilibeers aren't my thing and this was an experiment to challenge making things outside my comfort zone. I would like to move slightly back to my comfort zone. Albeit, I am more acclimated to chili beers now and have a bit of an appreciation for them.